Let’s fly!

– A journey through Norwegian aviation history

The redevelopment of the Civil Gallery at the Norsk Luftfartsmuseum is one of the most exciting and important events for this established national cultural and technical museum. Not only will the institution refresh its design elements, it can enhance interpretation and reinforce the significance of the objects on display by creating links to the modern visitor.

A history museum should strive to show future generations how the past has influenced their world and perception, and a wide audience is essential for success. However in today’s multimedia, internet, and theme park world it’s difficult to attract a varied audience when the common perception of a museum is traditional collections and grand buildings. Contemporary museums can continue to attract visitors and broaden their appeal by focusing on their core values and their strongest asset: a museums collection.

By using new display techniques, elements of which can be found in theatres and theme parks, the modern museum can bring to life stories from history and make that history relevant to the lives of their visitors today. Referred to as sustainable heritage, this is where the museum visitor experience enables both a physical and an emotional connection to the past.

The first stage in the redevelopment of the civil aviation gallery is to define the visitor experience so as to clearly articulate what the visitor is going to see and learn. The stories selected to be told and the key communication objectives of the museum as an institution need to be brought together into a thematic framework. This thematic framework provides the content for the concept plans for the new gallery. This report includes details of what the visitor will experience along with a total cost of achieving the design and a program for how the exhibition will be delivered.